1. Technical Field
The present application relates to an interchangeable drive element for bottle or container supports in a container labeling machine or a machine configured to print information on bottles or containers, which interchangeable drive element is capable of being used in different container labeling or container information printing machines in bottle or container filling plants.
2. Background Information
The present application relates to a drive system for use in devices or machines for the handling of bottles, cans, and similar containers. The devices or machines have a higher-level machine controller, and the drive system is designed to be replaceable and comprises at least one drive element, an electronic open-loop and/or closed-loop control and/or monitoring unit and a memory for the storage of a control program for the electronic open-loop and/or closed-loop and/or monitoring unit, as well as a process for the control of such drive systems.
Some devices or machines for the handling of bottles, cans, or similar containers use replaceable drive systems. Such machines have a horizontal rotor, around the circumference of which are arranged a plurality of disk-like container carriers that carry bottles, cans, etc. The containers are placed on the container carrier at a point on the circumference of the rotor and fixed to the carrier by a suitable means such that the containers rotate with the container carrier when the carrier rotates. During one rotation of the rotor, the containers are passed along a plurality of processing stations, which, depending on the configuration of the machine, apply labels to or overprint the containers, for example.
Often, bottling companies use bottling plants with a series of lines. In such a plant, one line might be used to fill twenty-ounce bottles with one liquid material. Another line might be used to fill twenty-ounce bottles with a different, second liquid material. A third line might be used to fill two-liter bottles with the first liquid material. Yet another line might be used to fill two-liter bottles with the different, second liquid material. Each of these lines possibly includes at least a filling machine, a closing machine, and a labeling machine and/or an information printing machine configured to print information on bottles or containers.
The labeling machine and/or information printing machine configured to print information on bottles or containers in a line that fills, closes, labels and/or prints on twenty-ounce bottles or containers labels and prints differently than the labeling machine and/or information printing machine configured to print information on bottles or containers in a line that fills, closes, labels and/or prints on two-liter bottles or containers. For example, a printing machine prints information on one place of a twenty-ounce bottle and prints on a different place of a two-liter bottle. Therefore, the configuration of a first labeling and/or printing machine in a first line, which labels and/or prints on twenty-ounce bottles, differs from the configuration of a second labeling and/or printing machine in a second line, which labels and/or prints on two-liter bottles.
An actuator is provided to rotate the container carriers and the containers located thereon. Also provided are sensors, including angle measurement sensors, for the precise for general alignment of the container with each processing station passed and an electronic controller, which essentially ensures or promotes the precise or general alignment and controlled rotation of the container at the processing stations. Some actuators, the electronic controllers, sensors and possibly additional components are configured as compact, modular units for use as drive systems that are non-permanently attached to the rotor.
The machine has a higher-level machine controller that controls the handling of the containers as they pass through the machine. Various connecting paths, such as a bus system or similar, can be provided for the transmission of control commands to the individual machine components.
The modular drive units have an electronic control unit that comprises the control programs required or desired for the function of the drive, such as for the evaluation of the sensor information and the precise or general assumption of a possible angular position by control action.
The modular design of the drive system enables a defective drive to be quickly replaced at the machine in the event of repairs. No complex and time-consuming installation and deinstallation work is required or desired, since the complete module can be replaced as a unit. Problematic, however, is the fact that the class of the machines described is very large and the design of the machines thus varies widely. The actuators must or should therefore satisfy a wide range of requirements depending on the type of machine; this is achieved in part by the use of different control programs for the drive systems of different machines. In the case of a replacement, the problem is then that one must or should essentially ensure or promote that the version of the program used in the drive system is suitable for the respective machine, which given the state of the art means that a plurality of drive systems must or should be kept in inventory to be able to react as described to faults with various types of machines.